Red Bull KTM Ajo rider takes fifth place at the Czech Republic GP and increases his lead by two points. Karel Hanika takes hard fought point in front of home fans.

The Moto3 World Championship gets ever more competitive . This time up to 17 riders battled throughout the race for the win. The Moto3 championship leader, Jack Miller, missed out on his chance to take victory on the last chicane, eventually finishing fifth at Brno to increase his lead in the overall standings to 23 points. Karel Hanika completed a race in the first group for the first time and took a point from his home race with fifteenth place.

An excellent start for Jack Miller and Karel Hanika at Brno saw them gain two and four positions, respectively, on the opening corner. A large first group of 17 riders formed in the early stages, and they fought during the 19 laps for a place on the podium. Miller, always in the first half of the group, did not assume the lead of the race until only 2 laps remained, when he made his final attack. The Australian led upon entry to the final chicane of the track, but a small mistake dropped him down to fifth. The top 16 riders were all separated by less than 2 seconds.

Karel Hanika ended the weekend happy with his performance in front of nearly 140,000 Czech fans. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie stuck with the first group, trying to learn from his advanced position with every lap. One last effort allowed him to cross the finish line in fifteenth position and place in the points for the second consecutive race.

The next round of the Moto3 World Championship takes place in two weeks’ time in Great Britain. The Red Bull KTM Ajo team reach the twelfth Grand Prix of the year with Jack Miller leading the standings on 169 points, 23 ahead of his nearest rival. Karel Hanika is eighteenth with 20 points.

Results – Race
1. Alexis Masbou (Honda) 40:59.759
2. Enea Bastianini (KTM) +0.157
3. Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) +0.187
4. Alex Marquez (Honda) +0.200
5. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.217
15. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1.838

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2014
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 169 points
2. Alex Marquez (Honda) 146 ponts
3. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 145 points
4. Romano Fenati (KTM) 135 points
5. Alex Rins (Honda) 125 points
18. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 20 points

Jack Miller >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“On the last chicane I had a good position, but I made a small mistake on the corner leading onto the straight and lost four places. The race could have gone better, but we should be happy because we have extended the lead in the Moto3 World Championship standings by two points. Step-by-step we are improving. We must be satisfied with the weekend. We suffered but, in the end, we had the chance to fight for the victory, which would have been great. Now we need to focus on Silverstone, which is a good track for me.”

Karel Hanika >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“The result is not bad. I made a great start, getting into the top group on first lap, but I made a couple of mistakes on the opening laps when I was at the back of the group. I didn’t find it hard to stay in the group, but I was fighting hard to overtake. I had very good pace, even riding alone, but it was hard to gain positions. We were losing a little time exiting corners and on the straight, but that was due to the bike. We kept up with the group and it is very good news to have finished so close to the race winner. It is a plus for the future.

I am already looking forward to the next race, and I think it could look a lot like today’s Grand Prix. We must work as we have done during this weekend and I’m sure we will have the opportunity to be up at the front. I’m satisfied.”

Aki Ajo >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“I think Jack’s race in some ways went exactly as planned. He is a very smart rider and understands that there are many riders in the World Championship who can be up at the front, and knows that positions can change at any time. The most important thing is to remain consistent and today he was very intelligent, managing his tyres, waiting and attacking at the right time. In some aspects it could have gone even better, but his lead in the standings is still increasing -so that’s positive.

The point earned by Karel [Hanika] does not seem like much, but if you watch his race you can see it was very good. All the time he was very close to the frontrunners, fighting in the front group, and he did very well. He has taken a further step to get closer to the top riders.”